Synchronization of traction wheels of locomotives and the like



" P" 15, 1940- H. A. NONEMAKER ET AL 2.197.731

syucunouzmzou or 'rmcwzou wrmnns OF LOCOMOTIVES AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 8, 1938 i 4' Sheets-Sheet 1 imiwliimim INVENTORS: 7151mm :Zmnemaicer & Thom/as Wflzmarwt v P 16, 1940- I H.-A. NONVEMAKER err AL .731

SYNCHRONIZATION F TRACTION WHEELS 0F LOCOMOTIVES AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 8, 1938' 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 19 50 59 52 m lglfi 47 V H T156 G 5 W 7710721115 YIfflnnareai,

i l l v I M (gm 7min:

l 1940- H. A. NONEMAKER ET AL 173! SYNCHRONIZATIQN OF TRACTION WHEELS OF LOCQHOTIVES AND THE LIKE Fiied Sept. 8, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS: fibroid 26C Wanamaker 18 BY Thomas Wflemarwt,

g M WWW/9W w j WITNESSES:

Patented Apr. 16, 1940 UNITED-"STATES,

' OF TRACTION WHEELS 1 ,OF LOCOMOTIVES AND THE LIKE Harold A. Nonemaker, Na'rberth, Pa., and Thomas W. Demarest, Onley, Va., assignors to The Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application September 8,1938, Serial No. 228,896

11 Claims.

This invention relates to the Synchronization I of traction 'wheels, particularly the driving wheels of steam or electric locomotives; and its general purposeis to prevent or minimize wheel In modern traction units of large tractive power, matters are often complicated by the use of several more or less independent power units driving independent pairs, sets, or groups of interconnected drive wheels. In an electric locomotive, for example, the drive wheels on the several axles may be entirely unconnected, and

driven by separate motors, each of which is in effect an independent power unit. Or in a'multipower-unit steam locomotive, each power unit may comprise a cylinder or pair of cylinders with a'piston or pistons connected to drive a pair of drivers fixed on a common axle, or several such pairs of drivers interconnected by side rods. In such a case, slippage and racing may involve both or either one of, the power units and sets of drivers; but even if only one unit slips,.it robs the other of steam and makes it inefiective toward starting or accelerating the traction unit.

plied is in all cases reduced as promptly as possible, by manual operation of the throttle, electric controller, or the like, quite aside from such ameliorative measures as track. sanding, which may be carried out either manually or automatically. This; however, involves objectionable lapse of time, waste of power, and possibilities of damage. We aim to accomplish the reduction of power When slippage and racing occur, the power ap to obviate slippage and racing automatically, and I (on. its-4s For thepurposes of our invention, we provide speed responsive devices or governors driven by the several power units,together with means actuated diilerentially by the governors, in ne sponse to anymaterial slippage'and racing, to reduce the supply of energy to the racing'power unit or units until overspeeding of such. unit or units ceases. Thus the action is primarilydependent on relative overspeeding as between the power units, rather than on the absolute speed of the Preferably, we also provide for reducing the energy supply to the other power unit whenever it is reduced to an initiallyracing unit, as well as for concurrently reducing the .supply of energy to both units if they should start to race concurrently. While we prefer to operate the differentially acting governors at the same speed when the power units driving them are not racing, yet they may equally well be arranged to operate at quite diflerent corresponding speeds (when there is no slippage or racing), provided they are of such designs that their operating characteristics are essentially alike over thei corresponding speed ranges.

The invention is applicable to various types of 35 traction units or locomotives, including ordinary steam locomotives equipped with a booster, as well as steam locomotives with several sets of main cylinders, and electric locomotives with several motors driving independent axles or groups of wheels. tages of our invention (besides those hereinbefore 1 indicated) will appear from the following description of species or forms of embodiment, and from the drawings. All the features and combinations shown or described are of our invention, so far as novel over the prior art.

In the drawings, Fig. Iis a partial side view of a streamlined locomotive with two sets of cylinders and drive wheels, illustrating the application of, our invention thereto, portions of the outer streamlined casing being broken away, as well as the cab and. the whole rear of the loco motive, and a portion of the boiler shell at the smoke box being also broken away or in section.

Fig. II shows a vertical section through the locomotive, taken as indicated by the line and arrows II-II in Fig. I. r

Fig. III is a general view, partly. diagrammatic or schematic, illustrating the application of our invention to a steam locomotive, either such as shown in Fig. I, or of any other type. In this view, various parts are shown in section, and other parts are broken out and removed.

Fig. IV isa view'o! the governor mechanism Various features and advanshown in Fig. III from the front of that figure, the enclosing casing being shown in section and its upper portion being broken away, and driving connections like those in Figs I-and II being shown.

Fig. V is a side view of another form of governor mechanism, with its enclosing casing in; section; Fig. VI is a bottom plan view of the same governor mechanism, also with the casing in section as indicated by the line and arrows VI-VI in Fig. V; and Fig. VII is a 'sideview of certain parts that are shown in Fig. V, by them selves.

Fig. VIII is a side view of yet another form of governor mechanism, its enclosing casing'be ing shown in section.

Figs. I and II illustrate the application of our invention to a steam locomotive of known type having two power units or engines A and B,com-

prising pairs of cylinders. III and I I respectively.

As here shown, the two pairs of cylinders I0 and II are supplied with steam from the locomotive boiler I2 through a dry pipe I3; a superheater I4, mounted in the smoke box I5 and in some of the boiler flues; and a steam pipe I8 with branches to both sides of the locomotive. Each of the branch pipes It in turn divides into a branch I1 leading to one of the forward cylinders l0, and

a branch I8 leading to one of the rear cylinders I I. The piston rods I9 from the forward cylinders III are connected through connecting rods and crank pins 2I to driving wheels 22, which are in turnconnected to other driving wheels 22 through siderods 23 and crank pins 21. The pairs of driving wheels 22, 22 and 22, 22-are fast on the axles 25, 25, and the crank pins 21 at opposite sides of the locomotive may be set 90 apart, as usual. The rear cylinders I I drive similar pairs of driving wheels 26, 26 and 2B, 26 on axles 21 through similar connections, which are marked.

with the same reference characters to avoid repe titivedescription. It will be seen, therefore, that the locomotive has separate power units or en.- gines A and B and distinct sets or groups of driving'wheels independently driven thereby: viz.,.

the. power unit A comprising the forward cylinders III, II) and driving the wheels 22, and the power unit B comprising the rear cylinders I I, I I, and driving the wheels; 26. v

For the purposes of our invention, the power units A and B are shown connected to a governor mechanism 30, in a suitable casing under the locomotive, by means of. longitudinal shafts 31, 32 driven from the axles of drive wheels 22 and 26 which are associated with the forward and rear power units A, B through reduction gearing enclosed in gear boxes 33 mounted on said axles. Universal joints 34 are preferably included in the shafts 3|, to take care of relative motion or slight misalinement of the parts. The govemor' mechanism may control and regulate the supplies of steam to the power units A, B by means of valves 31, 38 interposed in the pipes I1, I8 where the pipes lie side by side in the smoke box I5; As shown in Figs. I, II, and III, the valves 31, 38 are of rotary type; the corresponding valves 31, 31 at opposite sides of the locomotive are interconnected by a shaft 40 on which they are mounted; and the corresponding valves 38, 38 at opposite sides are in like manner interconnected by a shaft 4|. Preferably, the valves 31, 3B are operated by fluid under pressure controlled electrically by the governor mechanism '30.

For operating thevalves 31, 38, there are shown power cylinders 42, 43 whose pistons are urged to the right (Fig. HI) by helical compression springs 44 in the cylinders, and whose" piston rods are connected by link rods 45, 46 and crank pins 41 to slotted crank arms 48 on the shafts 40, 4|. The slots in the crank arms 411 permit of adjusting the radial positions of the crank pins 41 and the range or extent of movement of the valves 31, 33.

diagrammatic view wherein various parts are marked with the same reference characters as in Figs. land 11, though more or less arbitrarily arranged, and wherein connection of the axles 25, 21 of driving wheels 22, 26 driven by different power units A, B to the governor mechanism is arbitrarily indicated by alinement ofthe'se axles 25, 21 with the governor shafts 55, 56. In Fig. IV,

on the other hand, the shafts 31 of Fig. I, with 1 their universal joints 34, are shown'for driving the governor shafts 55, 56 As shown in Figs. III and IV, a guide and supporting bar I56 extends across the governor casing between and parallel with the shafts 55, 56, which carry speedresponsive devices such as fi y-ball governors 51, 58. Across-head 60 slidable along the guide bar 156' carries fixed butadjustable contact screwsv 19 bolted to the lower side of the bar I 58. The

bracket 10 also serves as a stop to limit movement of'the cross-head 60 to the right by the spring 61. Helical compression springs 1|, H

acting between the'cross-head and the rocker J 63-, and having their ends engaged around projections on the parts 60 and 63, tend to keep the rocker'in mid-position, as shown in Fig. III, with both contacts 85, 66 disengaged from the contacts 61, 62. The ends of the rocker 63 (Fig. IV) are connected to the governors 51, 58 by rollers 12, 12 on said lever that engage in the grooves of the movable collars 13, 13 of the governors 51, 58.

The cross-head 60 also carries an adjustable abutment screw 15 for coacting with a switch mechanism 16 fixed on the bar56, and comprising an upright bracket support 11 with contacts 18, 13 insulatively mounted thereon, and a movable member so having coacting contacts 8|, 8| insulatively mounted thereon, and fulcrumed or pivoted on the support 11 by means of a sheet metal book 82 engaged in-a slot in a sheet metal bracket 83 at the base of the support 11. helical compression spring 84 engaged in a socketin the support 11 and around a projection on the member 60 urges the latter away from the former as far as permitted by a stop connection consisting of a T-headed sheet metal bracket 85 on the upper end of the member whose reduced shank engages in the notched upper end of .a

plate 86 projecting from the upper end of the sup- 7 port 11, thus keeping the contacts 8|, 8| normally out of engagement with thecontacts 18,18;

As shownin Fig. III, one slde'of'the electric currentsu'pply circuit 81 has'parallel. branches;

connected to the contacts 8I, Hand 18, 18,,while the other side'of this circuit has parallel branches 88, 88 which include the operating coils of the valves 58, 5i controlling the valves 31, 38,.respectively, and which are connected to-contacts 85, 8| and 88,8I, respectively. On a steam'locomotive,

a suitable source of-current'supply for the circuit 81 is the usua1 steam-driven turbine-generator set (not shown) that furnishes electricitylfor the" locomotive headlight, etc;

As long as there is'no material 'slippage of driving wheels 22, 28, the-power units .A, B run at the same speed, and so likewise do the gov-v ernors 51 58 driven bythem; AsJthissp'eed increases, the governors 51,58 pull the rocker .lever 83 and the cross-head 88 bodily to the left in f Fig. IIIybut the rocker 83 nevertheless remains in mid-position, so that'none-"of the contacts come-together, and neither -of; the-.circuits 88,

88 controlling' the valves. 58,; 5| and 31,38 is .closed. If, however, the drivers 22 start to, slip,

and the power unit A starts to race, the governor 51 speeds up and swings the rocker 83 counterclockwise, bringing the contact 8I against the contact 85 to close the circuit 88 andthus operate the steam valve 31 to reduce the speed of the power unit'A. Whenthe valve 31 is thus partially or even wholly closed to reduce the supplyof steam to the power ,unit A, the cross-head, 52 on its operating rod 45 engagesthe roller on one of the stop blocks 53 and correspondingly closes the valve 38, thereby reducingor throttling the supply of steam to the power unit 13, so asto prevent its drivers 28 from slipping, This is desirable because when valve 31is closed. the

whole steam supply from the boiler I2 becomes available in the power unit B, Or if the drivers 28 start to slip, the governor 58 speeds up and 1 swings the lever 83 clockwise, closing the circuit "and operating the steam valve 38 to reduce the speed of the power unit B, in like manner.

When thevalve 38 is thus partially or even wholly closed, the roller on the other stop block 53 Oflthe operating rod 48 engages the crosshead 52, and correspondingly closes the valve 31 to prevent racing of the power unit A. When-.

ever the speed governors 51, 58 are again in synchronism, the rocker lever 83 returns to its] mid-position. shown in Fig. III, breaking. the

corresponding. circuit 88 or.88, closing the corresponding pilot valve 58 or 5|, and allowing one or both valves 31, 38 to reopen.

If both sets oLdrive' wheels and ;28 slip simultaneously, thespeed governors 51,58 acting together draw rocker lever 83 and crosshead 88 further and further to the left in Fig. III without bringing together contacts 8| and 85 or 82 and 88. However, before the concurrent slippage and racing of the drivers 22, 28 and power units A, B becomes at all serious, the? abutment 15 on cross-head 88'will engage switch. member [88 and bring the two contacts 8|, 8|

against the contacts 18, 18, thus closing the two circuits 88, 89 and partially or even wholly closing both valves 31, 38 simultaneously. and holding them closed as long as the racing continues.-=

Figs. V, VI, andVII illustrate a different form of governor mechanism 38a, in which the speed governor 51 is connected to bperateaY-arm'ed rocker actuator 88, pivoted on one end of a short pivot 8i fixed in a bracket support 82between the shafts 55, 58, by means of a roller 88 xncnnt= I .ed on the lower armof the rocker 88 and err gagedin 'gthe groove of the governor coiia'r I8; v

and thegovernor 58 is similarly connected to'.' operate a Y-armed switchrocker ;85, -pivcted on Helical tensionv the other end of the pivot 8i. springs 81a, 811; connected to the lower arms of the rockers 88 and are anchored totne' knack-- et 82,by-. eye-bolts 88a adjustable relative there to. These springs 81a, 81!; not only answer-the generaljpurpose of the spring 81 in new, hut also serve as a means 01, calihratingthe' o e-'3 ating characteristicsof the governors 51', ,58 as desired, and of making them exactly alike.

As-shownin Figs V and VII, the main 5 rocker carries adjustable contact screwscia; 82a, ,insulatively mounted thereon, and also a three-armed .fioating" rocker 88a, prefers for coacting with the contacts 8111,8284, respectively. Helical compression springs lid, 52a acting between the rockers 85 and 83c, and having with their ends engaged 'in socket rfices'ses in these rockers, tendto keep therocker 88c in midpositionon the rocker 85, as shown in Fig. V, with both contacts 8511, 661: disengaged insulatingmaterial, like Bakelite, pivoted tn ion at 84 41 and provided with contacts 85c, 88c.

from thecontacts am, an; The upper arm of e the rocker 831; carries opposed adjustable abutment screws 88, 88 for coacting with the head part 81 on the actuator rocker 88. Preferably, the head 81 is not integral with the main [portion of the rocker 88,.but .is part of ath'ree-v armed rocker 88 pivoted on the-rocker 98 at 8 8,.

and normally held in mid-position relative to, the rocker 88 by helical tension springs I88, I88 connected between the lateral, arms .of the rockers 88 and 88.. The tension of the springs I88, I88

may be adjustedby means of anchorage eyebolts'l8l, I8I. that take through, lugs on the arms of the rocker 88. The. yielding connection ofthe rocker 88 to the rocker 98 allows the head 81 to yield relative to the rockerj88, after'en gagement of the contacts Ma and -Iiiia'or 82a and,88q,- if the 'governoraction shouldbe jsuiiiciently powerful to require such yielding to pro tect the parts from excessive stress. The contacts8la, 8211 may be connected to one side of the current supply circuit 81, an'd'the contacts 85a, 88a maybe, connected to parallel branches 88, 88 of the other side of this circuit, all essentially as in Fig. III.

'Ihe'ope'ration of this governor mechan sm 38a, is, briefly, that when either governor '51 or 58"" outspeeds the'other, it swings the corresponding one or the other pair of contacts Glu and 85a or 82a and 88a into engagement to close one or the other of the circuits 88 or 88, with the same results'as alreadydescribed in connection with Figs-Bland IV. M, a

Fig; VIII illustrates a modified form'of governor mechanism 382) .in which the governor shafts 55b, 581) are arranged upright and driven through bevel gearing =I85 from'the shafts 55,

58, and the governors 51, '58 are; connected through rockers I88, I88 and link rods I81, I81 to the-rockers 88b and 85b. The parts assoctated with the rockers 88b and bare'the same as those already described in connection with Figs. V, VI andVII. .1

In Figs. V, VI, and VII,--various partsand fea--' r 55. rocker 88 or 85 clockwise in Fig. V and'brings tures are marked with the same refe'rencenumerals ascorresponding ones in Figs. I-IV (with added letters, where such distinction appears petitive description; and so like inFig. VIII the same reference characters as in Figs. I-VII are used, with addition of distinctive letters where needful.

Having thus described our invention, we claim; 1. The combination with a locomotive or trace, tion unit comprising separate power units and distinct sets of driving wheels independently driven thereby, with means for supplying energy to said power units, of speed-responsive devices also driven by the several power units, and a differential power-control mechanism operatively connected to said speed-responsive devices and including parts shifted with respect to one another by the said devices in response to overspeeding of one power unit relative to another, and thereby coacting to. reduce the supply of energy to the overspeeding power unit.

2. The combination with a locomotive or traction unit comprising separate power units and distinct sets of driving wheels independently driven thereby, with means for supplying energy to said power units, of speed-responsive devices also driven by the several power units, and means cooperatively operated by said speed-responsive devices and difierentially' responsive to overspeeding of either power unit relative to the other to reduce the supply of energy thereto,"

and common means" also controlled by both or said speed-responsive devices for reducing the supply of energy in response to concurrent overspeeding of both of said power units and sets of driving wheels. V p

3. The'combination with a locomotive or traction unit comprising separate power units and,

distinct sets of driving wheels independently driven thereby, with means for supplying energy to said power units, of speed-responsive devices also driven by the several power units, means cooperatively operated by said speed-responsive devices and ,difi'erentially responsive to overspeeding of either power unit relative to the circuits controlling the supplies of energy to;

said powerunits, and a differential switch mechanism operatively connected to said speed-responsive devices and including parts shifted with respect to one, another by the said devices in response to overspeeding of one power unit relative to another, and thereby coacting to control .the. energization of the aforesaid circuits and thus to reduce the supply .of energy to the overspeeding power unit. 7 V

5. The combination with a locomotive or traction'unit comprising separate power units and distinct sets of driving wheels independently.

' circuits controlling the supplies of energy to said driven thereby, with means for supplying energy to said powerunits, of speed-responsive devices also driven by the several power units; electric power units; a differential switch mechanism,

' operatively connected to said speed-responsive,

devices and including parts shifted with respect 'tion unit comprising separate power units and .units and distinct sets of drivingwheels in- 2,197,731 e e necessary). as a means of dispensing'with reto one another by the said devices in'response,

to overspeeding ofone power unit relative :to another, and thereby coacting to control the, energization'of the aforesaid-circuits and thus to reduce the supply of energy to the overspeeding power unit; and common means also controlled by said speed-responsive devices for concurrently controlling the energization of the several circuits aforesaid in response to concurrent over-' speeding'of power units, and thus concurrently reducing the supplies of energyto said units. 7

6. The combination with a locomotive or trace power units, electric circuits controlling the sup- 1 plies of energy to saidpower units, and a difierential switch mechanism operatively connectedto said speed-responsive devices andincluding parts shifted with respect to one another by the, said devices in response to overspeeding 01, one power unit'relative to another, and thereby coacting to control the energization of the aforesaid circuits *5 and thus to reduce the supply of motive fluid to the overspeeding power unit. 7

7. The combination with a locomotive or tracdistinct sets of driving wheels independently driven thereby, with means for supplying energy to said power units, of speed-responsive devices with substantially parallel shafts driven by the several power units, a floating rocker connected as I responsive devices also driven by the several power units, valve means controlling the supplies of motive fluid to said power units, and a differential valve-operating mechanism operatively connected to said speed-responsive devices and including-parts shifted with respect to one an other by the said devices in response to overspeeding of one power unit relative to another, and thereby coacting to actuate the valve means for. the overspeeding power unit to reduce its motive fluid supp y- 9. The combinationwitha. locomotive or traction unit comprising separate fluid driven power units and distinct sets ofdriving wheels independently driven thereby, with means for supplying motive fluid to said power units, of speed-responsive, devices also driven by the several power units, valve means controlling the supplies of motive fluid to said power units operated by said speed responsive devices and responsive to overspeeding of either power unit to reduce the supply of motive fluid thereto, and means responsive tom closing movement of one, of said valvemeans;

for partially closing :the' other of said valve means. j V

10. The combination with a locomotive, or

power units and distinct sets or driving wheels independently driven thereby, with means for supplying motive fluid to said power units, of speed-responsive devices also driven by the several power unitsyeiectric circuits and valve means for controlling the supplies of motive fluid to said power units; a differential switch mechanism operatively connected to said speed-responsive devices and including parts shifted with respect to one another by the said devices in response to overspeeding of one unit relative to another, and thereby coacting to control the energization of the aforesaid circuits} and means for operating said valve means, in response to the operation of said switch mechanism as aforesaid by said speed-responsive devices, to reduce the supplies of motive fluid to the power units.

' 11. The combination with a locomotive or traction unit comprising separate fluid-driven power units and distinct sets of driving wheels independently driven; thereby, with means for supplying motive fluid to said power units, of speed-responsive devices also driven by the several power units, electric circuits and valve means for controlling the supplies of motive fluid to said power units, switches for controlling the energization and de-energization of said circuits cooperatively operated by said speed-responsive devices and differentially responsive to overspeeding of either power unit relative to the other, means for operating said valve means in response to energization and de-energization of said circuits to reduce the supplies of motive fluid to the power units, and means responsive to closing movement of one of said valvemeans for partially I closing the other of said valve means.

HAROLD A. NONEMAKER. 

